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£3,832 on sports activities for children?

How much time and money do you spend on sports activities for children?

As a parent, it's great to encourage your young ones to take up hobbies and spend time outside doing exercise and kids' sports. And taking part in activities regularly not only keeps them fit and healthy, but usually leads to them mixing with a wider circle of friends.

But sometimes it is difficult to find the time and money for sports activities for children, so it is important to budget and plan ahead effectively.

So what's popular?

Pub restaurant chain Chef & Brewer surveyed 2,000 parents of children who engage in organised sport activities for children a minimum of three times per week, and found that the cost can change considerably depending on what sport a child takes part in.

Accompanying children to clubs, competitions and training will cost the average mum or dad £50 per week, with 10% of parents often driving further than 75 miles to regional and county events.

And while 60% of mums and dads said they would not like to stop their children taking part in kids' sports no matter the cost - and a quarter would never refuse to take their children to join in an activity - as many as 27% said that their children simply could not go to every activity that they wished to because of the expense.

A Chef & Brewer spokesperson said: "We have to spare a thought for the parents of children who take part in more than one organised sport and for those that have two, three or four sporty children."

How much do children's sports cost?

Football is one of the most popular sports activities for children and the cheapest kids' sports from ages 11-18, with a cost of £2,841 to parents, but during the same period the average parent will pay £3,832 for a sporting child.

The second most common sport for kids this age is competitive swimming, which costs parents £4,106 (£586 a year) for kit, membership fees and extra lessons.

"Sport clearly dominates time in the week for a lot of families but it's still important to make time for family occasions," the spokesperson continues.

"We often went for a hearty meal together after training and we still make time for a family pub lunch most Sundays when we can."

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